IGN: In an interview you said that in console gaming, hardware power rules all but not in handheld gaming. But would you be interested in working on a PSP game that seems to be closer to console power?
Itagaki: Ninja Gaiden DS is the fourth project that I personally worked on. Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, DOA Xtreme Beach Volley Ball, and now Ninja Gaiden DS. Whenever I start thinking about new games, it takes time and motivation, and it takes chances. And right now I can't think about what I'll be working on next until I'm done with Ninja Gaiden DS.
IGN: Well, do you think that after this project's released we can look forward to news about Ninja Gaiden 2?
Itagaki: Yes, of course.
IGN: Immediately after?
Itagaki (laughs) You'll have to come to Japan to find out.
IGN: What has been the biggest challenge in bringing Ninja Gaiden to the Nintendo DS?
Itagaki: The challenge for me is to make the number one game in the genre. Whether it's fighting or action, I want it to be the best. I view this game in the action "mobile" game market, so I think there are plenty of games out there that compete with my game. After I made Dead or Alive, which is fighting, and Ninja Gaiden, which is action, I could have worked on RPG or anything. But I don't think that would be interesting. So out of the blue I wanted to work on this project.
IGN: Why Ninja Gaiden and not, say, Dead or Alive as your first Nintendo DS game?
Itagaki: First of all when I looked at the DS I wanted to create something where I play while touching the screen, obviously. It could have been anything -- it could have been DOA for that matter. But I decided that it should be Ninja Gaiden. Of course, if I made a DOA it would upset Ninja Gaiden fans since I made so many DOA games already, so why not give Ninja Gaiden a turn.
IGN: So do you foresee yourself doing a DS version of DOA?
Itagaki: Like I said earlier, I have to finish Ninja Gaiden before I start thinking of my next projects.
IGN: The game is wicked fast -- and you said in an interview that Dragon Sword has the fastest Ryu Hayabusa yet. What did you mean by that?
Itagaki: You just played the game, right? That should be the answer. If you were to use traditional controls, no one could keep up and control him that fast. My goal was to maximize the ability of the touch panel and make it a challenge to the player.
IGN: Nintendo DS games generally don't have the same budgets and development cycles as console games. Were you restricted at all compared to your other projects?
Itagaki: (chuckles) I didn't even think about that at all. So when we make games, of course it's important to think and plan...you do that with the left hand. Your right hand, you get freedom. It's important to have freedom in projects like this.
IGN: It was announced back at E3 2004 that Team Ninja had a project in the works...
Itagaki: (laughs) You remember! Good.
IGN: Yeah, so...looking ahead like that, is there a Wii project in the works at Team Ninja?
Itagaki: Like I said, I only have a left hand and a right hand, if I had a third hand I could give you an answer. I'm happy that you remember the time we announced the project. We were the first third-party to make such an announcement.
IGN: It's been a long wait! Has the move from the original hardware to the DS Lite affected the project, since you were working on it during that transition?
Itagaki: Obviously we made it for the older model, so it's not going to take anything away from players who have the original system.
IGN: This is admittedly a very "softball" question, but I have to say, that this game looks spectacular for a DS game. What is your team doing, or what are other DS developers missing?
Itagaki: It's all about the programming. The programmers are leading the team. It's a rare situation nowadays. Our programmers have pride. You can have great visuals, but you need the technology to support it.
IGN: One of the things that Team Ninja's known for is how strongly it backed the Xbox platform right out of the gate. Can we expect that strength in support for the Nintendo DS?
Itagaki: First of all, I think that I need to set things straight. I don't think that I supported Xbox. Xbox supported us, and in that environment we were able to bring out our game. The reality is, software really doesn't support hardware.
IGN: What we played was clearly a basic demo of what will be in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword. Are there any ideas that aren't in the demo that will go into the final game?
Itagaki: Yes.
IGN: Well...
Itagaki: There's so many! Right now, I'm struggling with selecting the Ninja Gaiden features available and organizing them in a way that will be smooth and natural to the player.
IGN: How will Dragon Sword compare to the length of play of the Xbox games?
Itagaki: The game is still evolving right now, so I can't answer that.
IGN: How about online leaderboards like on the Xbox version?
Itagaki: That might be a good idea, but I don't really compare the DS project with the rest of my projects.
IGN: Well, aren't you trying to attract the Xbox audience since it is using the same storyline and character as the console game?
Itagaki: You might be right. But I'll say that both Microsoft and Nintendo are happy right now.
IGN: Are you 100 percent dedicated to this DS project, or are there other projects going on while this is finishing up?
Itagaki: I have two hands. (laughs).
IGN: I know you've hinted about where the storyline's going in Dragon Sword, so what exactly are we going to see revealed?
Itagaki: I've talked about this in the past, so what I say won't be anything new. So now it's time to show you instead of talking about it.
http://ds.ign.com/articles/793/793072p1.html
